#Selfies: Everything You Need To Know About The Most Popular Thing, Ever [VIDEO]

It’s a word in the dictionary, and it’s embedded pretty deep into modern pop culture nowadays. Want to learn about the history of the selfie? Maybe learn some new selfie facts? Do it. But first, let me take a #selfie.

According to Wikipedia, "A selfie is a self-portrait photograph featuring the photographer, typically taken with either hand or selfie stick held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter."

The First Selfie in History

upload.wikipedia.com

I bet you didn’t think you’d be reading about selfie history today, did you? Lol

According to all known historical references, the first selfie in history was taken by one Robert Cornelius, aka grandfather selfie in 1839.

Little did Cornelius know he’d be paving the way for a future of teenagers using Snapchat.

The Word Itself

The first known reference to the actual word selfie goes back twelve years to an Internet post by a somewhat intoxicated Australian man posted on an Internet forum. Behold, the birth of a new culture:

“Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie”

And just like that, the Internet was never the same.

2013: The Year of the Selfie

2013 was a helluva year for selfies. Due to the rise in popularity of front facing cameras, more and more people started taking them, and sharing the, and the term selfie grew with rapid force. In fact, according to a study commissioned by Samsung, 30% of photos taken by the 18-24 year old demographic are selfies.

That’s a lot of #selfies.

In 2013, the word selfie was actually added to the dictionary! And of course, designated as the word of the year [with Australian origin].

Songs. Advertisements. Even the Oscars. Selfies have engrained themselves, well, pretty much everywhere.

During the Academy Awards, host Ellen DeGeneres took a selfie with some famous actors, and it was retweeted millions of times. Experts estimate the selfie could be worth nearly a billion dollars!

The Future of the Selfie. Where Do We Go From Here?

More than 50% of millennials have shared a selfie at one point in their lives. That’s a lot of selfies. Where will selfie culture go in 2015, and beyond?

The trend shows no signs of slowing down. We’re only going to see more selfies, in more ridiculous places, by more and more people. President Obama taking a selfie at the White House only proves that this phenomenon is still growing every day!


Credit: Buzzfeed